NEWS! Greg Gion was re-elected as 2018 Director of the Wisconsin Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists. (WSOPP)

The Wisconsin Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists’ (WSOPP) mission is to establish a professional organization for Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists in the State of Wisconsin. Our goals are multifaceted with the primary goal to protect the health and welfare of the residents of the State of Wisconsin who have physical disabilities that require the professional services of a trained and certified Orthotist, Prosthetist or Pedorthist.
WSOPPs’ goal is to promote the professions of Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics as well as organizations affiliated with these professions in the State of Wisconsin.

A few words from the President:

Moving Forward In A Changing World

How do we, as a profession, stay current and viable when it seems like everything around us is changing?

As a field that is as steeped in tradition and legacy as it is in new frontiers on technology, turning the page on our future seem like a insurmountable climb. We find ourselves today spending more time processing the paperwork in a client’s chart then we do directly with our patients helping them achieve their functional goals. For many of us, this represents a monumental cultural shift in the way we do business on a day to day basis. A cultural shift that at first impression seems to take direct aim at our foundation. I have heard over the last several weeks many different viewpoints and impressions of the recent changes in documentation requirements and payment timelines; each seems to strike an emotional chord, and rightfully so. I have taken the opinion that the very visceral response that is rising is because the practitioners, technicians, administrative staff and vendors that we work with on a daily basis are as equally passionate about serving our patients as we are. There are few other professional trades that I feel have such a high level of compassion to their clients on all fronts as we do; we need to commend ourselves on this!

We also need to let this same passion drive us forward in a productive manner. One can spend countless hours resisting change and find that one is only further behind. Or, one can also spend the same hours improving themselves, their business practices and finding new ways to succeed. It is with this idea that we have changed the format of our focus. Although the ideas of Licensure and Parity have not gone by the wayside, we continue to focus on supporting our membership in the ever changing health care climate to help position our industry to be viable withstand future changes.

Don’t lose focus on serving our patients. The culture is changing, but the core of profession is not. Let our core be the foundation we need to improve our business practices and move forward.

Andrea Pavlik, CO, WSOPP Past President